Life in the Carpathian bush

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red deer

Every Autumn, the valley around my village livens up at night as all the giant Carpathian stags bellow out their presence and challenge the other males for dominance of the vast red deer herds. This recording is of a stag and his challengers literally outside my back window.
The sound of a stag in rut, and how it beats its antlers against trees, is often mistaken for sasquatch or bigfoot evidence.
There are no street lights where I live, nor neighbours, so there is zero light pollution. At night it is very very dark and, during a heavy rain storm like this one, the bellowing and banging of the stags is just plain eery. I love it. It is one of the times of the year I enjoy most living where I do. It is so utterly primal.
It’s a shame it was too dark for me to film (I need an IR camera desperately) but enjoy the audio anyway.
Put on some headphones and turn up the volume, then close your eyes and listen to the rain, the wind and these magnificent beasts.